Protector of the Dominion
by grrlgeek72
Summary: 3 months have gone by since Elsa's coronation. Life is settling into normalcy. An enemy out for revenge attacks Arendelle, putting the young Queen in a dangerous situation. This wasn't something she had trained for, but she proves to be the 'Protector of the Dominion' her coronation oath demanded! Feedback welcome. Like it? Review it. Hate it? Send a PM to tell me why! Thank you!
1. Prologue

**Protector of the Dominion**

**1-Prologue**

Once upon a time, there were two little girls.

One had platinum blonde hair, the other was a redhead. Their personalities were completely different, even though they were sisters.

The older one, the blonde, was serious and focused and seemed older than her eight years. But she had a playful streak, too. Her life wasn't all studying and etiquette and protocol. Every now and then, at night, her little sister would jump up and down on her bed, and they would sneak down to their father's throne room (Did I mention they were princesses?) and they would play in the snow. Sometimes they would build a snowman, and skate around the throne room squealing and giggling. (Did I mention the older princess had magic powers to create snow and ice? No? Oops. Sorry.)

The younger one, the redhead, was bubbly and giggly and as fiery as her hair. She was five, with all the energy that only a five year old could bring to a skating party. She loved it when her big sister made it snow, and they could sled down little piles of the stuff doing tickle bumps. She loved the snowman, too. When Elsa (that was the older girl's name, Elsa) would make believe by wiggling his twiggy little arms, and say in a gruff voice (Well, as gruff as an eight year old little girl could manage.) "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!", her little sister Anna would hug him and tell him she loved him. She was looking at Elsa when she said it, though, and Elsa knew what she really meant.

Then, one night while they were playing, something very bad happened. And there weren't any more happy playtime in the throne room after that.

We could tell stories about what happened in the years that followed. The isolation, the hurt, the loneliness. The tragedy, (another tragedy) and then the triumph. Yes, there were many stories to be told here.

This is not one of those stories. **THIS** story is about the day Elsa learned what the phrase _"protector of the dominion"_ really meant.

* * *

_A definition you will need later in this story: (Credit to TV Tropes)_

**Snowlem**

**Snowlems (a portmanteau of Snow Golems) are living snowmen,** often complete with stovepipe hats, lumps of coal for eyes, and carrots for noses. Genre writers with a sense of humor may cast them as Ice Elementals. There are three varieties of Snowlems:

Version I. The Friendly Snowlem: Also known as the "Frosty the Snowman" variety, they often are simply snowmen constructed by cute kids and animated by Christmas magic.

Version II. The Human Snowlem: This is where a human is transformed into a snowman, sometimes after an accident or due to some Applied Phlebotinum. Depending on who the person is, it may overlap with Versions I or III.

Version III: The Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snowlem: The snowman is something to be feared. Perhaps it's some supernatural monstrosity shaped into a snowman or perhaps a serial killer back to life or maybe it was simply evil snow, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is... oh my god, he just killed that guy with a carrot!

Snowlems sometimes get into Snowball Fights. [Don't we know it!]


	2. Arendelle Under Attack

**2-Arendelle Under Attack**

"Your Majesty! Get DOWN!" Elsa's guard captain roughly shoved her to the ground, under one of the tables of the inn where she had been having tea. Elsa had been caught by surprise, but stayed down as she heard the "BOOM" of cannon fire. What was going on? One of her guardsmen was lying almost on top of her, shielding her with his own body. The rest of them surrounded the table, backs to her, weapons ready, scanning for threats. They didn't know anything more about what was happening than Elsa did, but they knew how to protect their Queen. Putting their bodies between her and danger was their duty, and they would do that duty even at the cost of their own lives.

Elsa was confused and a little frightened. Why was there cannon fire? Was Arendelle under attack? Who would do such a thing? She thought the day had been going so well...

* * *

It was the middle of October, three months after Elsa's coronation as Queen of Arendelle, three months since the spectacular blowup of her efforts to hide the fact that she was blessed/cursed with the magic power to control ice and snow. After exposing her secret, running away from her kingdom while causing it to fall into a devastating winter in July, almost killing her sister and dying herself, then gaining true control of her power and thawing the kingdom, Elsa had settled into her role as Queen with some trepidation. But it seemed that most people were willing to give her the opportunity to prove herself, and she had steadily gained confidence in her own ability. It was, after all, something she had been training to do her entire life.

Her parents had made some deplorable errors in her upbringing, but her father had been competent and thorough as he educated her to follow him as ruler of Arendelle. Her mother had likewise directed Elsa's training in diplomacy, etiquette and protocol. They did not neglect the education of their younger daughter, Anna, but her training was not as intense as Elsa's. When the King and his wife perished in a storm at sea three years ago, Elsa continued her lessons with her advisers until she came of age and could rule in her own name.

It was rather more difficult than learning from her mother and father, if only because her grief made focus and motivation much harder to come by. She had also gotten the distinct impression that many of her advisers were unhappy with the thought of a Queen Regnant who was only 21 years old. Since her father had ascended the throne at the age of 22, Elsa sometimes wondered if their attitude would be different if she were the eldest son, instead of the eldest daughter. No matter. She would do everything she could to bring credit to the memory of her mother and father.

One of the errors made by her parents was isolating her from most people, and especially from her younger sister, Anna. That isolation had stunted Elsa's ability to deal with people, or even understand them sometimes, and it was something she had to work very hard to overcome. She had chosen to schedule days where she would go to the town square, mingle with her people, and make herself available to anyone who wished to talk to her on any topic. The first time she did it was very hard on her. But she had now experienced several such days, and she was getting more comfortable with her ability to enjoy other people's company, make small talk, and even entertain the children with small displays of her magic. Dancing snowflakes and little figurines made of ice delighted the little ones, just as they had delighted her sister Anna when they were small girls.

Since she was still a little unsure of herself, she would bring Anna and Olaf along to share the experience, and help divert attention from Elsa if necessary. Olaf, her walking, talking snowman, was a favorite with the children. He often wandered around town by himself, looking for flowers to sniff, and playmates for games, so he was a familiar sight that no longer startled the citizens of Arendelle town. And Anna could make friends with a rock, she had seen her do it before, so she was always a welcome companion for Elsa.

They had spent a productive day getting caught up on the happenings of the kingdom, and it was approaching evening. Olaf and Anna had both decided to wander off to some other part of town. Elsa suspected Anna really just wanted to find Kristoff, who was becoming a close friend. Kristoff and his reindeer Sven had first met Anna on her quest to find Elsa and bring her back to Arendelle after the disaster of her coronation ball. Elsa approved of Kristoff, and had bestowed upon him the title of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer to humor Anna. It had been meant as a little joke at first, but it turned out that Kristoff really was quite competent as an ice harvester, and was working to organize all of the ice harvesters into a well functioning guild, just like the other guilds in the kingdom.

Alone with her guard detail, Elsa had decided to enjoy some tea and krumkake at the inn before she returned to the castle. She was just finishing her tea when she noticed something odd in the harbor. Five ships were sailing into the dock area, and they looked like warships. Large warships. Their gun ports were open, and their cannons were run out. Suddenly, several of the cannons fired, striking the castle wall and the mountains above the town. Elsa abruptly found herself on the ground underneath the table as her guard captain pushed her down with a warning shout. The peaceful market square quickly became a pandemonium of panicking people scrambling to get away from the docks and the hostile cannon fire.

* * *

"Your Majesty! We have to get you away from here, to safety!" The Captain yelled, trying to be heard over the cannon and the screams of the townspeople fleeing the scene. The attacking ships continued to fire, although it still seemed they were avoiding targeting the town buildings. The boom of their fire was continuous, and it looked to Elsa that they were attempting to dock and land troops!

"No, Captain!" Elsa scrambled to her feet, with help from the Captain. "This attack must be repelled immediately! **I** need to repel it! By the time our Navy and the Marines get organized, they will have landed those troops," Elsa pointed at a ship that had docked, armed men already running down the gangplank onto the quay, "And we will be engaged in a general battle, with who knows how many casualties!"

The Captain protested, "Your Majesty, we can't risk you..."

Elsa cut him off. "Captain, I understand your concern, but I am the only one with the power to stop this before it goes too far!" And she began running toward the docked enemy ship. Her guard ran to keep up with her. It was too late to knock her out and carry her bodily back to the castle, so the Captain decided to just roll with it as he ran along side her.

_**"Elsa, what are you DOING?"**_ she screamed internally, trying not to panic. This wasn't a situation that her father had trained her for. Most monarchs don't do any fighting themselves, and rarely exposed themselves to the chaotic dangers of battle. But her instincts were sound. She knew that if she acted quickly and decisively, she could probably bring this under control long enough for her military forces to engage and overcome this unknown enemy. Her heart was pounding and her breath was coming in great, shuddering gasps as she approached the docked ship and the men milling around. It looked like the hostile troops were getting organized, she didn't have much time. She skidded to a halt about 25 yards from the ship. Her guards immediately began to surround her, but she barked, "DON'T get in my line of fire!" and let go a blast of ice that created a wall surrounding the enemy troops that had disembarked.

Seeing that the attackers were at least temporarily stymied, she then iced over the ship they had come from. Using the same gestures she had used to raise her ice palace, she built a pillar of ice under the ship that elevated it about 50 feet above the water of the harbor. She froze over all of its cannon as well. The men remaining on that ship wouldn't be joining their fellows on land any time soon. She thickened the wall of ice surrounding the troops on the quay. That group wouldn't be causing any trouble for a while, either. With the immediate threat neutralized, she looked for the other ships.

To her dismay, two more were almost docked, and she could see the troops ready to leap onto the quay as soon as they did. The last of the ships were still bombarding parts of the castle, and still aiming at the hills above the town, rather than the town itself. "Come with me!" she screamed to her guards. As if they wouldn't follow her to the very gates of hell to protect her. Elsa wasn't thinking very clearly. The danger to her people was unnerving her, she wasn't sure quite what to do next. In a frenzy, almost without realizing what she was doing, she froze over the water of the harbor, which locked the ships into immobility. Then, in a most desperate act, she gestured as she had when she created Marshmallow, the giant snow golem that guarded her ice palace. Frightening everyone, friend and foe alike, 10 giant snowmen with ice shards at fingers, elbows, and knees rose up on the iced-over harbor, and attacked the enemy ships.

To say that the invasion force was terrified by these giant snow soldiers vastly understated the impact they had. The snowlems split up, dividing their attention between all four ships. Cannon and gunfire had no effect on them. They ignored these futile attacks and snapped the masts on the ships like twigs. Plucking cannon off the decks of the ships as though they weighed nothing, Elsa's frosty giants threw them onto the ice far from the ships. Sailors and soldiers on the ships were bowled over by the rocking of the decks as this damage was being done, but as far as Elsa could tell, no one was being killed. A few minutes of this carnage, and the invaders were waving anything white they could find amongst the wreckage, hoping they could convince SOMEONE that they were trying to surrender.

"Stop!" Elsa bellowed at her creations. They immediately stopped tearing the ships apart, and stood there passively, glowering at their prey. By this point, that was all they needed to do to intimidate the cowering sailors. Elsa looked around her. She could see a large number of Arendelle Marines pounding up to the docks from their barracks, muskets at port arms, bayonets glinting in the light of the setting sun. Until she thawed the harbor, the navy's ships wouldn't be very useful, but the Marines could walk on the ice with their hobnailed boots.

A colonel of Marines ran up to Elsa. "Your Majesty! Your orders?" She took a few deep breaths until her heart slowed its pounding and she could speak coherently.

"Colonel, have your men walk across the ice to each of those ships, and escort their crews and the soldiers to the dock, where you can march them off to the parade grounds. Your men will hold them prisoner there until we can get something better organized. Guard them well, and insure that the prisoners leave their muskets and other arms on the ice, to sink to the bottom of the harbor when I melt it."

The colonel nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty." He looked at the ships. "If I may ask, what about those...those frost giants?"

He was a little unnerved by living snowmen, no matter how successfully they had overcome the attackers. He knew that his Queen had ice powers, but the story of the attack on Elsa's ice palace three months ago had been widely dismissed as gross exaggeration on the part of the men who had been there, by those who had not. Who believed in giant snowmen? Well, now he believed.

Elsa was still shaken, but her thoughts came into focus. "They will help your Marines escort the prisoners to the parade grounds, and they will also help stand guard. Simply tell each one what you want him to do, and explain that it is Queen Elsa's order. They will obey you. I suspect their presence will help deter any foolish thoughts of further resistance or escape." She looked around her.

"Leave me one squad of Marines to supplement my guardsmen. I need to see what damage has been done to the town. And the castle." She suddenly thought of Anna.

"My sister!" she gasped. "Has anyone seen my sister?!" She felt panic coming on again, and she fought it down with iron discipline. _"Don't feel, don't feel, DON'T FEEL!"_ she repeated to herself.

Her guard Captain spoke up. "You Majesty, she was last seen going toward the castle with the Ice Master." He meant Kristoff. "I will send a man immediately to the castle and see if they are there, and unharmed." He turned to one of the guardsmen. "Jorgensen, run, and insure Princess Anna is safe at the castle! Report back to me when you know their situation."

"SIR!" Jorgensen snapped a salute, and ran off. The Captain turned back to Elsa.

"Your Majesty, I understand your desire to survey the damage and insure the well-being of the townspeople. But your **duty**" he put an emphasis on the word, "is to insure your own safety. Please let us escort you back to the castle, where you can receive the reports as the Marines and the town gendarmerie get assessment and relief activities under way."

Elsa was not quite ready to agree with that. "Captain, I appreciate your unease with my remaining here. However, the greatest danger seems to be past, and I need to stay until the Marines have cleared those ships and taken the prisoners away. I'm the only one who can thaw the ice, and can't do that until they are finished." She checked her surroundings, trying to orient herself. They weren't that far from the market square.

"However, I see no reason why we can't return to the inn, and mingle with the townspeople to reassure them, until the Marines have done their duty. Would that put your mind sufficiently at ease about my safety?" The Captain thought this request over, and reluctantly admitted that his squad and the Marines added to his detail would be able to safeguard the Queen. "Thank you, Captain. I am indebted to you and your men for your devotion to your duty to the Crown of Arendelle."

She turned back to the colonel. "Colonel, would you have one of your men take a message to the castle? Assuming my sister is there, tell her where we will be? She must be as worried about me as I am about her." The Colonel saluted Elsa. "Immediately, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you." She returned her attention to the Captain. "Let's go, then, Captain. I find that I need some tea and maybe more krumkake after all this excitement." She managed what she hoped was a reassuring smile, trying to mask her inner turmoil. The mixed squad of guardsmen and Marines formed up around Elsa, and the party began their walk back to the inn.


	3. Aftermath

**3- The Aftermath**

Elsa was sitting and sipping tea at the inn, worrying about Anna. Jorgensen had not yet returned, and her concern was growing. It took every bit of her self-control to keep her hands from shaking and rattling the teacup on its saucer. Just then, the Admiral who commanded her Navy came up to her. "Your Majesty?" and he bowed his respects to his Queen. "Admiral," she acknowledged.

High Admiral of the Navy Mikael Naismith was the highest ranking officer of the Arendelle military, _de facto_ and _de jure_ in overall command of Elsa's armed forces. His family had immigrated to Arendelle from Avalon when his great-grandfather had decided to remove himself from the religious turmoil in the aftermath of the Great Revolution. His troops called him "Old Hard as Nails", although not where he might hear it.

"Would you sit and join me for some tea? Or perhaps something stronger for you?" She nodded at an empty chair at the table.

He responded, "I will be honored to join you, Your Majesty, but will defer any drinking until my duties are done." He sat. "May I give you an update of the current status?"

"Please, I am most eager to hear what is going on in the town," if for no other reason than it would distract her from worrying about Anna.

"There were many injured, but none of the injuries are thought to be life threatening. It seems that this invasion force was using the cannon fire for intimidation, rather than to inflict damage to life and property. There are some quite large holes in the castle wall, however. Again, the injuries sustained there are not life threatening, according to the medics." He hesitated, then continued grimly.

"That could still change. We haven't finished a complete assessment of every part of the town." 'The Admiral went on, "It is clear that your timely intervention prevented more extensive damage and injuries. They simply didn't have enough time to carry out their plan before you began to fight them."

_"The undoubted queen, protector of this dominion." _Elsa muttered softly to herself. She had never expected that description from her coronation ceremony to be quite so literal. "What **was** their plan, Admiral?" She asked in a normal voice.

He harrumphed, and said "We don't know yet, Your Majesty. The Marines have not yet indentifed the officer who was actually in overall command of the expedition. And none of the officers we have questioned so far knew the entire plan, or its motivation. They each knew only their own small part of the operation." He glanced out the window, where the ship on the ice pedestal could be seen.

"He may still be on that ship." She nodded. That ship would be the last one she thawed, once all the other prisoners had been marched off. She was so tired she felt she could fall asleep face down in her teacup.

Suddenly, she was wrapped in someone's arms. It was Anna! "Are you okay, Elsa!? I was so worried about you when the shooting started! We ran to the parapet on the castle wall, and saw you doing the ice magic thing!"

Elsa hugged her sister back; she was so relieved that Anna was okay she almost lost her poise and cried.

"Anna, when someone is shooting cannonballs at the castle, the LAST place you should be is on the walls!" she tried for a stern look instead, which flew completely past Anna's exuberance.

"We were fine. You were the one in the thick of the battle! You're a fine one to talk!" Anna tried for stern right back at Elsa, but Elsa caught the subtext. She understood Anna had been terrified until she knew that Elsa was unharmed. It wasn't until she unwrapped herself from Anna that she saw Kristoff standing nearby.

"Kristoff, are you okay? Were you two in any danger?" He shrugged. "No, Your Majesty. None of the cannon fire came anywhere close to us." She and Kristoff had come to an agreement that he would call her 'Elsa', but he never did so if they were in public. A rough and uncouth ice harvester he might be, but he was meticulous in his courtesy.

The Admiral cleared his throat to get her attention. "Yes, Admiral?" She was glad for the diversion.

"Your Majesty, it seems that all the prisoners have been cleared from the four ships, and we now need you to unfreeze the last one. And the rest of the harbor." Finally, she could finish this endless day!

"Excellent. Give me just one moment." Elsa turned to Anna again. "Do you think you and Kristoff could spend some time working with the rescue and evaluation teams? Then report back to me later tonight on everything you've seen around the town? If you're too tired, I'd understand." Anna shook her head.

"No, we're fine! I'm sure we're not as tired as some Snow Queens we could mention! I'll come see you later tonight!" She grabbed Kristoff's hand, and dragged him off, a look of resignation on his face. He was smiling, though, and threw an eye roll at Elsa as they disappeared out the door of the inn.

"Let's finish this horrid day, Admiral." With that, Elsa, the Admiral, and her guardsmen went back to the docks.

* * *

It was quite late when Anna returned from the cleanup effort in the town. She had grabbed something to eat with Kristoff earlier, so she headed up to check in with Elsa. Anna knew that her sister would want to talk over the day's stressful events. It would help her reconcile all of the chaotic emotions she would be feeling in the aftermath. In public, Elsa carried herself with regal dignity, cool and serene. It was only with Anna, in private, that she could let her vulnerability show. Anna knew that Elsa needed that release, and shuddered every time she thought about the 13 long years when Elsa had no one she could trust to share that vulnerability with.

Anna knocked on Elsa's door, then tried to open it. There was some resistance, as though...somebody was sitting against the door, holding it shut. _"Uh,oh" _Anna thought to herself. This was worse than she imagined. "Elsa? It's me, Anna. Can you let me in?" Anna held her breath. She heard a shuffling noise, and the door opened. Elsa was hanging on to it for support. She was shaking, tears glistening on her cheeks. Her teeth were clenched, jaw working to hold back her sobs. Anna quickly took her in her arms, closed the door with a kick of her foot, and led Elsa to the bed. She had apparently gotten ready for sleep before losing her composure, as she was barefoot and in her nightdress.

"Come on, let's get you in bed, Elsa" Anna soothed her sister, getting her tucked under the covers. Elsa didn't want to let go of Anna's hand. "I'm not going anywhere, sis. I'm not leaving you. Just give me a sec." Anna reassured her. She quickly got out of her own dress, kicked off her shoes, and crawled in with Elsa.

She gathered her sister into her arms, settling her against her as comfortably as she could, Elsa's head cradled on her shoulder, her face in the crook of her neck. Anna could feel Elsa's warm breath against her skin, and her tears as well. "Shhh...it's okay. You're safe, Elsa. You're safe." Anna crooned soothingly into Elsa's hair, caressing her back, feeling Elsa's breathing gradually slow to regularity, and her shivering stop. She finally fell asleep. Anna sighed, kissed her gently, and fell into a dreamless sleep herself.

* * *

Under the best of circumstances, Anna woke up...hard. This morning was no exception. Someone seemed to be poking her, whispering, "Wake up, sleepy head!" into her ear. She smacked her lips, pried one eye open, and looked over to see Elsa lying beside her, propped up on one elbow.

"Hi, you!" she said. Anna muttered, "Uh, hi, me?" still not quite awake, but getting closer. She tasted hair, brushed the wayward strand of one braid out of her mouth. She hadn't loosened her braids last night, so at least she didn't look like a ginger fuzzball with freckles this morning. She sat up, stretched and yawned mightily, then fell back onto the pillow.

"Go 'way, I wanna sleep some more!" she said, and rolled over with her back to Elsa. She heard a giggle, then she squawked when Elsa gave her a little push that turned her out of the bed onto the floor!

She looked up to see her sister peeking over the edge of the bed, snickering. "Sorry! I couldn't resist!"

Anna sat up, then got to her feet as Elsa hopped out of the bed and went over to the window. It looked to be about an hour past dawn, which was 'way earlier than Anna usually started her day. Assessing her sister, Anna was reassured that Elsa seemed to be recovered from her episode of the previous evening. They happened. Not often, but they...happened. After 13 years of isolation, guilt, and fear, and then 3 days of trauma that would have broken a lesser person beyond any hope of sanity, a few hugs weren't enough to heal someone all at once, no matter how warm and heartfelt those hugs were. It was going to take both of them some time to mend. Anna wasn't immune to such attacks either, they just happened less frequently to her than to Elsa, with lesser severity.

Anna pulled her dress on. Rumpled and smudged as it was, it would do until she got back to her own room and got cleaned up and ready for another day.

"What's going to happen today?" she asked Elsa, who was sitting in the window bay and watching the gulls flying over the fjord.

"Court at ten o'clock." came the somewhat terse reply. "We'll be sending that invasion expedition packing with firm instructions not to come back." Elsa looked at her. "I need you there. They need to get the message we're serious about this."

Anna nodded. "No problem. I had planned to meet Kristoff and continue helping in town, but I'll send him a note. He'll understand."

Anna knew Kristoff's attitude toward Court was, "Better you than me!" Well, Anna wasn't thrilled, either, but it was part of her duty as Heir. She'd do anything to support Elsa, and standing around the Throne Room looking stern was one of the easier things she could do to show that support.

"See you later!" Elsa threw her a distracted little wave as Anna left.


	4. Take a Message Back From Me

**4-Take a Message Back From Me**

Elsa stood on the dais in her throne room, watching the enemy Commander approach under guard. For this interview, she had dressed as The Snow Queen, in her glorious ice dress complete with its delicate, icy train. It was for special occasions, and this certainly qualified. Anna was to her right and slightly behind her, wearing a jacketed dress in the Arendelle colors. The green complemented her hair and complexion nicely, and she was wearing her hair up today, as befitted a formal Court.

Elsa was imposing when she held Court in a simple, elegant court dress. When she donned her full on Snow Queen persona, she was downright drop dead magnificent. She glowed. Elsa was a palpable Presence, one that could be felt, like hot August sunshine on your skin, burning in its intensity.

She looked down at the Commander of the invasion force. He wasn't in chains; he had given his parole. His scabbard was empty, though. His sword lay at Elsa's feet in token of his surrender.

"Well, Admiral?" Elsa threw the question at the officer who commanded Arendelle's Navy. He cleared his throat, and began to explain what he had learned from questioning the enemy officer.

"It seems, Your Majesty, that the Duke of Weaseltown..." The prisoner didn't bother correcting the Admiral. Under these circumstances, he wouldn't do or say anything that might provoke the Queen after that spectacular display of her powers yesterday. He still wasn't sure he'd be getting out of this escapade with his head still attached. "...had decided that he needed some recompense for the 'unseemly treatment' he received after your coronation." The Admiral frowned.

"However, apparently his intelligence service is not quite as competent as it could be. The attack was planned for yesterday because the Duke believed Your Majesty would be out of the city, visiting one of the remote farming towns."

Elsa grimaced. "That was plain dumb luck, I think. My schedule changed at the last minute when that storm hit several days ago, and the mayor of the town requested a delay while they got caught up on the harvesting." She glared down at the hapless Weselton Commander. "What else, Admiral?"

"The Duke knew that any attack on a location where you were present would be a disaster. The strength of your magic, and your ability to disarm almost any attacker with it made any such attack futile. Hence the plan to strike while you were gone." The Duke may be venal and greedy, Elsa thought to herself, but he wasn't stupid.

"And what did he hope to accomplish?" Elsa wanted to know what the old weasel thought he could get with such a brazen breach of diplomacy, technically an act of war. Well, not technically. An actual act of war.

"Nothing less than taking this city, and your sister, hostage, and looting us of everything that could be carried off." The Admiral finished.

"He WHAT?!" Elsa didn't scream, but the fury was clear in her voice. "My sister?!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." confirmed the Admiral. "The Duke knew that if he held Princess Anna as hostage, as well as the city, you would be helpless to repel his invading force, and he would be able to loot us with impunity. To give him some due, he intended to return Princess Anna unharmed once his convoy had returned with their treasures to Weselton." The Admiral glanced at the Weselton Commander. "At least, so I am told. Whether he would have gotten greedy, and attempted further blackmail, we can't know."

Fortunately for the Commander, Elsa's magic didn't manifest with a mere look, or the scowl she directed at him would have left a large block of ice in her throne room. With him in it. "Well? Do you have anything to say, Commander?"

He was no coward, or he wouldn't have risen to his present rank. His voice was firm and steady as he answered her. "No, Your Majesty. Except to confirm that my orders were explicit concerning Princess Anna. We were to treat her with all due respect, and my own life was forfeit if harm of any sort should befall her."

"Small comfort that. In a battle, chaos reigns, and no man can foresee who will live and who will die, intended or not." Elsa shot back at him. "If harm had come to my sister, not only would your life have been forfeit, but all the lives under your command. And that of the Duke, no matter how long it took me to hunt him down and exact my vengeance on him!"

Elsa's voice alone could have frozen the fjord just then, no ice magic required. The Commander grimaced at her words. He knew she was right about the chaos of battle. Elsa went on, her demeanor that of someone holding a berserker rage under rigid control.

"Take this message back from me, Commander! I am Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, defender and protector of this realm, and as long as I draw breath, NO ONE will attack this kingdom without suffering dire consequences. I stand between my people and those who would do them harm. Go back and explain what happens to those who would try!"

Elsa then placed her foot on the Commander's sword. It froze, and when she put her weight on it, it shattered into tiny shards. The Commander gulped. That sword had been the finest Damascus steel, worth two years' pay. And she had turned it into metal splinters with a touch.

"I will convey your message back to Weselton, Your Majesty. And I will be sure to convey it with all the conviction I can muster, to insure that the message is understood." He hoped he could muster enough conviction to convince his paymasters. This had been the worst disaster he had ever had the misfortune to be part of. And he never wanted to engage in an operation against Arendelle again.

"Return him to confinement, Admiral." Elsa ordered. "I believe it will take several days to repair their ships so they can sail back to Weselton. They may leak, but that's why ships carry pumps; and improvised masts may make the trip longer than usual, but get them ready to sail as quickly as possible." The Admiral nodded, and Elsa addressed the Weselton officer again.

"Commander! I will allow you to select craftsmen from your crews to aid in this repair effort. You will give their parole that they will make no attempt to escape. Is that clear?" He nodded. "The sooner you are gone and no longer fouling my harbor, the happier I will be!"

She allowed herself one last glare at the Commander. "You are all dismissed! Leave me now." The throne room emptied quickly. Elsa enraged was someone even brave men wanted no part of.

Once everyone was gone and she was alone with Anna, Elsa sat on her throne and put her head in her hands, breathing heavily. Anna went to her, and knelt next to the throne. She looked up at Elsa in concern.

"Are you okay?" Anna wasn't sure how she could be. She herself had been hard pressed to maintain an appearance of outward calm as she listened to the explanation of what had been planned and what Elsa would have done if someone had harmed Anna. Anna didn't lack courage, even if she was a bit overconfident at times, but that didn't mean she was foolish, or lacking an instinct for self preservation.

Even so, she was far more concerned for Elsa's emotional state. A Snow Queen with no restraints on her emotions could do tremendous damage to anyone and everyone around her. They had already had a glimpse of how that would work. No one wanted a repeat performance, particularly one without Anna to save Elsa from a rage without end. Anna resolved that she and Elsa would need to talk about this, and not let it fester.

Elsa took a long, shuddering breath, raised her head from her hands, and looked at Anna. "I'm okay."

Anna nodded. Elsa stood up and reached for her sister's hand.

"Let's get something to eat. I couldn't eat last night, and breakfast was meager." Anna smiled as she took Elsa's hand.

"You don't have to ask me twice to get lunch! Let's go." The two of them went off to the dining room. Elsa hoped she would be able to keep her food down this time.


	5. Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

**5-Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish**

There was a crowd of people milling around the town square, near the docks of the Arendelle harbor. A cordon of Arendelle Marines held the angry throng back from giving the departing Weselton ships a sendoff less pleasant than the one Elsa had planned. She couldn't blame them, but this was her justice to dispense in their name.

The anger of the mob heightened the fear of the Weselton men; they would be quite unwilling to take part in any attack on Arendelle ever again. Elsa sincerely hoped that they communicated that fear widely to their fellows back home and in every port in the northerm realms. A bad reputation was a good thing, if it protected her kingdom and her people from enemies.

"Are you ready?" Elsa looked to her right and her left. The Admiral nodded, then gestured to the Marines stationed at each docked ship, ready to send them off. The enemy ships, looking much the worse for wear, with jury-rigged masts, water flowing from their pumps, and chunks of railing missing where their cannons had been forceably removed, were untied from the bollards along the docks.

Small boats manned by oarsmen tugged each ship out into the harbor, where they raised their sails and moved toward the seawall and out onto the fjord leading to the sea lanes. Elsa helped each one along with a stiff breeze from her magic. She was so angry and so ready to see them gone that only her iron discipline kept those breezes from being gale-force winds. Outside the harbor seawall, ships of the Royal Arendelle Navy waited. They would escort the pathetic little fleet all the way back to Weselton, to further emphasize Elsa's anger with the Duke.

When the last of them was on the fjord and the convoy formed up and sailing away, Elsa turned to the Admiral at her side. "Good riddance to bad rubbish!" she said.

He gave a little bow and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. I doubt Weselton, or anyone else will be making similar plans any time soon."

She glared at him. "Admiral, you and I need to have a...discussion of how this attack came to be such a total surprise. It would have been a complete disaster for Arendelle, save for a fortunate storm that caused me to be here, instead of at a remote farming town!" She had been thinking about the whole affair, and the more she thought the more disturbed she became. Arendelle had literally dodged a bullet. She and her advisers had clearly failed in their duties.

For his part, the Admiral accepted this statement with equanimity. He, too, had been reflecting on the intelligence failure that had almost cost the kingdom so much.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I share your shame that we had no warning of this attack. I have already begun putting together an organization that would be charged with preventing such failures in the future. I am calling it the Arendelle Intelligence Service, and am prepared to present its proposed organization and duties to you at your pleasure."

Elsa was impressed at his initiative. Well, she knew that her advisers were generally competent. This attack was a surprise mostly because Arendelle had always been a small, peaceful kingdom, with good relations with its neigbors. Out of the way of most conflicts, it possessed very little worth expending men and treasure to plunder. Elsa grimaced; that had changed when she ascended the throne and exposed her magic. She hoped the Weselton lesson would make other would-be attackers think twice before trying something similar.

"I request and require that you review this with me tomorrow, immediately after the regular session of the Council of Royal Advisors." The sooner the better. The Admiral simply bowed again to acknowledge her command.

Elsa turned away from the harbor and began walking to return to the castle. The crowd had dispersed when the ships had sailed away on the fjord, and the marketplace was now bustling with people going about their everyday business. The town had returned to a semblance of normalcy, even though there were still repairs to be made. Many of the townsfolk bowed slightly to her as she passed, and she smiled and nodded in return. Trying to project an air of calm and reassurance to her people, she mingled with them, stopping to have a conversation if someone approached her.

Most of the Marines had returned to their barracks once the crowd had broken up without incident, but some still remained in small groups scattered through the market square. Elsa was passing near to one such group of three men when she happened to overhear their conversation.

"Well, those bloody bastards won't never be back again, hey mate?" One boasted. His fellows laughed.

"That's for damn sure. Weaselly little Duke will be needing new britches when he reads that proclamation from our Queen!" They clearly didn't realize she was within earshot.

"Yeah. He'll be seeing Frost Giants in his bedroom closet for years after this!" More laughter. "Speaking of Frost Giants, where did they go?"

Elsa had sent them to her Ice Palace after all the ships were repaired and loaded. They had done their job, and she didn't want them being feared by her own people. But she had not thought much about what would happen to them after. The next statement by one of the Marines shocked her to her core.

"Well, she probably just melted 'em. Didn't need 'em no more, 'poof!' away they go!" Elsa stiffened. _"Oh, no, what have I done?" _she thought, as the full implications of her creations hit her for the first time.

She had stopped walking in her dismay, and her guard Captain asked, "Your Majesty? Is something wrong?" She shook herself, regained her composure and tried to smile.

"No, Captain, just a thought. I'm fine. Please, let's return to the castle now. I find myself...fatigued." A white lie. Her emotions were far more chaotic than fatigued. She needed to think. She didn't know what to do.


	6. Queen of Ice and Snow

**6-The Queen of Ice and Snow**

Anna peeked through the doorway to her sister's bedroom. Seeing Elsa was still up, she went in. Elsa was pacing back and forth, alternating between wringing her hands and hugging herself. Anna was dismayed by this body language and the look on her face. The last time she had seen Elsa in this exact state of mind, it had ended with a magic bolt of ice to Anna's heart. It looked like another long discussion was on the agenda for the evening.

"Elsa, what's wrong? I mean, I know what's wrong, but you seem to be upset about something ... um ... wronger. More upset. Are you? Upset, not wrong." Anna mentally berated herself. She needed to calm Elsa down, and babbling wouldn't help. Elsa became aware she was there. She stopped and took a deep breath, her eyes closed.

"Anna." She took another deep breath. "Yes, I am upset, and something is very wrong." Elsa walked over to the window bay, and sat down, her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. There was room for the two of them in the window bay, so Anna went over and sat facing her sister. They were both in their dressing gowns, it was late and long past time for bed.

"Talk to me, Elsa. I'm here for you. Let me help." Three words that meant so much to the young Queen. How many times over the years had she longed to hear those words. Now she had her sister back, and that was a gift beyond price.

Elsa raised her head from where she had rested her forehead on her knees.

"Before I get into it, I've been neglecting you. Are YOU okay? We've both been under a lot of stress these last few days." Elsa loved her sister deeply, and her protectiveness for Anna often led her to put Anna's needs ahead of her own. Anna looked back at Elsa, a little surprised at this conversation starter.

"Well..." Anna suddenly realized that Elsa's intuition was spot on. **She** needed to talk some things out just as badly as Elsa did.

"Did you mean what you said to that Weaseltown Commander?"

Elsa cocked an eyebrow at Anna. She had said a lot of things at that Court. "Which part?"

"The part about killing him, all his men, and the Duke." Anna remembered how shocked she had been at Elsa's words.

Elsa didn't answer at once. A moment of silence, then...

"Yes." Flat, cold, deadly serious. No doubt whatsoever. Anna shuddered at the ice in her sister's voice. Elsa sensed her discomfort, and went on in a gentler tone.

"Anna, I never killed anyone. I've come close to killing you, I thought I HAD killed you, and I wanted to die."

Another silent moment.

"If that idiot Duke's plan had succeeded, but something had happened to you during the attempt, I would have wanted to die, again." A deep, ragged breath. "Except this time, there would have been no miracle, nothing to stop me from lashing out and taking revenge on anyone who had any responsibility for taking you from me! Nothing to keep me from becoming a monster, killing them all, and then going into oblivion myself." This last made Anna gasp. Oh, no!

Anna scrambled down from the window bay, and knelt next to Elsa, who had put her head down on her knees again and begun to weep softly. Anna reached up to take Elsa's hand and held it against her own cheek, where Elsa could feel Anna's tears.

"Elsa, no! You can't ever give up if something happens to me! I know you love me, and I love you back just as much! But life is sometimes sorrow and loss and risk, and we have to deal with it. You and I have already lost people dear to us, and we survived that, however close it came to driving us both into despair!" She meant their parents. Elsa looked down at Anna with reddened eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. Anna kissed her sister's hand.

"Just because we face death doesn't mean we can't embrace life. What matters is that we choose to overcome the pain, and go on to grab whatever glorious moments we can from the hurt and loss." Anna suddenly wondered at her own eloquence, but she was desperate to get through to her sister. It seemed to be working, for Elsa sat up a little straighter and wiped her tears from her face, sniffling.

"Anna! And here I thought you slept through those philosophy tutorials!" She smiled feebly, trying for a teasing tone, but Anna saw right through it.

"I mean it, Elsa. No one knows their own fate, how long the thread of their life is. You can't give up if something happens to me, an accident, an illness, whatever might take me from you. You have to go on. Remember me with fondness, miss me with sorrow, yes, but you can't slide into despair and misery. What kind of memorial would that be?" Anna thought her words were having an impact, were pulling Elsa back from the abyss.

She jumped to her feet and tugged Elsa toward the bed. Anna could see that the woman was on the brink of collapse. Her frenetic agitation had drained from her, leaving behind nothing but exhaustion.

"Come on. Let's continue this little sisterly chat while trying to fall asleep. Now it's your turn. What's got you so morose and gloomy? It's got to be more than that weaselly Duke." Doffing their robes, they both got into bed and settled in a comfortable embrace. A sudden insight lit up in Anna's brain.

"You really don't want to kill anyone, isn't that it? That's what's got you so upset-the realization that you would kill indiscriminately if you were pushed over the edge. The fear that you would become a monster. And the fear that you might find yourself in a situation where you had no choice." Anna felt Elsa's body shudder. She hugged her tighter.

"Yes." This time, the word was soft, almost whispered. "Killing is a profound act, an extreme act, an act with consequences for me that I can't hope to foresee or comprehend. It will change me, forever." Elsa began quietly weeping again, her voice so soft that Anna had to strain to hear her words. "It might change me so much that you wouldn't...wouldn't love me anymore." There it was, Elsa's greatest fear, exposed.

Anna's thoughts were whirling. She understood in her gut what scared Elsa so much, but she also knew Elsa wasn't thinking clearly.

"Elsa, you are a good person. Too good, sometimes. Yes, killing someone isn't something to be done casually or without thought. It should never, ever be done indiscriminately or carelessly. But, in self-defense, or to protect someone you love, or to defend your people? I sincerely hope you never have to face that choice. Just like I hope I never have to face that choice." Anna took a deep breath. "But if that was the only way I could save you, or Kristoff, or a child in danger, I would do it with no regrets and no shame!"

Elsa stirred and raised her head to look at Anna. "Oh, Anna. If only I was as sure as you are." She looked down at her hands, hands capable of great destruction ... and other things. "I just don't know if I'm brave enough for this job sometimes."

"Queen of Arendelle?" Anna asked, concerned. She yawned, it had been a long day and she felt herself drifting toward sleep.

"No ... Queen of Ice and Snow."

Elsa kissed Anna tenderly on her forehead. "Thank you. I know what I have to do, now." Anna wondered at the non sequitur, but fell asleep before she could ask Elsa what she meant.


	7. Let Us Go

**7-Let Us Go**

_"Elsa! What have you done?!"_ Her father's words had been seared into her mind and heart when she was eight. She had hurt Anna! It had been an accident, but she still cringed at the memory. His tone, his words, had pushed a frightened little girl into an abyss of guilt and shame that could still hold her prisoner at times.

This time, it had not been an accident. She had created her snow golems with intent, in a moment of heated battle stress and fear, desperate to protect her kingdom. Only now she had no one to help her deal with the reality of what she had done. She had created living, sentient beings! She was responsible for their existence. Shaken to the depths of her being, she wasn't sure what came next. How could they live in her kingdom? How could they not? Would 'the Frost Giants of Arendelle' become a mundane reality, casually accepted like any other part of daily life in the realm? _"Elsa! What have you done?!"_

Elsa was trudging up the North Mountain again, on her way to her Ice Palace. This time, there was no snow on the ground until she got above the altitude where it never melted. There were no howling winds whipping snow and sleet around her, not because her emotions were any more tranquil than the first time she had made this journey, but because she could now control at least the external manifestation of them.

* * *

Of course, this was not the first time she had created such living snowmen. Olaf was the first. When she had built him, as almost the first use of her powers after she had fled her coronation, it was a subconscious throwback to the happier times of her childhood. Until he came to the Ice Palace with Anna, though, she had no idea she had imbued him with life. It had amazed her, but also enchanted her with the thought that her hands could create such a happy, joyful little snowman, who sweetly loved warm hugs and summer.

Later in that same encounter, when she desperately wanted Anna to leave her palace, she had brought Marshmallow into being, a huge, powerful-looking snowman, to frighten Anna and Kristoff into fleeing. He looked menacing, but wasn't dangerous to them. When Hans and the rest had shown up with the intent to kill or capture Elsa, it was a different story. He was protective of her, fiercely protective, and truly dangerous to those men.

It was Marshmallow's creation that led her directly to the snowlems she had unleashed on the Weselton fleet. Just like the first two, these projected Elsa's will and emotions. Fearsomely large and threatening, even more so than Marshmallow, they only attacked the ships and damaged them into impotence rather than simply killing the men. When their work was done, she had sent them up here, not really thinking through what she or they would do after. _"Elsa! What have you done?!"_

When she **had** stopped to think, a reflective moment triggered by the remarks of the men she had overheard, she was confounded. Now what? Her discussion with Anna had helped clarify some of the dilemma, but she still wasn't sure how this would end. She was certain of one thing, though. Her snowmen had a right to a voice in any decision about their fate.

* * *

Arriving at the stairway to her Ice Palace, she looked around. "Marshmallow?" she called out. Immediately, a mound of snow nearby unfolded itself into the snowlem as she had last seen him. She had returned once before, to repair the damage done by Hans and his companions when they attacked her. Marshmallow had then returned her small crown to her. He had found it after she had flung it away in rejection of her responsibilities.

"Lady Elsa!" Marshmallow acknowledged her presence in a voice so deep and rumbly she could feel its tremble in the ground beneath her feet. "It is good to see you again."

She hesitated. "Are the other snowmen here?" A deep, rumbling laugh.

"Yes, they are coming. They know you are here, and that you need to talk to them" Marshmallow seemed amused at her expression.

"They ... know that I'm here? How?" Elsa was taken aback.

"We are part of you, Lady Elsa. You made us with a small part of yourself in us. We are projections of your will and your desires, and we always have a connection to that will." It was a matter-of-fact statement, as though Marshmallow were commenting on the weather.

Elsa felt anything but matter-of-fact. Although, as she mulled that comment over, she began to understand why Olaf always seemed to know where she and Anna were. That 'connection' must have been what led him to the study where Anna lay dying, to help her survive long enough to find Elsa on the fjord and save both their lives.

Just then the other snowlems joined Elsa and Marshmallow. In deep, booming voices, they all greeted her as Marshmallow had: "Lady Elsa."

She tried to answer, but her mouth was so dry no words came. She gulped, trying to muster the ability to speak. One of the snowmen raised his hand and said, "No need, Lady Elsa. We know why you have come."

"You do?" she finally managed to croak out. A little stronger. "You do? Then you know better than I do, because I have no idea what to think."

"You think that you must end us, and you are afraid," the deep, rumbling voice said, just as matter-of-factly as Marshmallow.

There was dead silence as Elsa digested this. Her inner turmoil almost overwhelmed her as she realized he had struck directly to the heart of the matter.

"Yes. Yes, I am afraid. I have no right to 'end' you. I don't think that I should end you." She articulated this, knowing it was the truth, knowing it was something she had been shying away from.

"But we have the right to ask you for this." Wait, what? Elsa wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"Lady Elsa, we are glad that we could serve you in your need. You created us to aid you in a task too large for you. But now that task is complete, and we have no further purpose. Send us home, so that we may return where we belong. This world has no place for us." His fellows nodded in agreement to this.

Elsa swayed, light-headed, afraid that she would fall. Marshmallow quickly and deftly pushed enough snow into a mound for her to sit on, and she sat down hard. Another demonstration of their connection, his sensing her need.

"Let us go. Let us become one with the wind and sky. We will remember you, and when you see the ribbons of fire in the vault of heaven, you will know we are there, and we are glad." They all nodded again.

Again silence, as Elsa digested this amazing declaration. She turned to Marshmallow. "And you? What do you desire?"

Marshmallow rumbled, "I am content to live here, in your Palace, guarding it from strangers. The little brother comes to visit, and we play together. I am content." Another stunning revelation, piled on top of all the others. Elsa realized that 'the little brother' must be Olaf. Well, that explained some of his more lengthy disappearances.

She rose, and looked at the others. "Are you certain? Is this truly something you wish from me?" She still didn't quite believe it.

"Yes. We would rather be free, than to be objects of the fears of men. That would be bad for all. Fear is bad, fear is pain. The freedom of the skies is clean and beautiful." Elsa realized she couldn't argue with any of that; she had learned the lessons of fear and pain all too well.

"Very well. I will do as you ask, even though I am still unsure of the right of it. Are you ready?"

"We are, Lady Elsa, and we thank you." All of them bowed to her.

She gestured, raising her hands the way she had when she had sent her snow into the air when she had thawed Arendelle. But this time it was a whirlwind of snow as the snowmen dissolved and swirled into the air, higher, farther, faster, until they were indeed one with the wind and sky. The Northern Lights seemed to brighten with their presence.

Elsa lowered her hands and collapsed onto the snow mound again, put her face in her hands and began to weep. If part of her was in each of her living creations, then part of her had gone with them, and she felt the loss in her soul. Just as she had felt the loss of her parents. Just as she would feel the loss of any loved one. She knew that she would never build another snowman, ever.

"Lady Elsa, don't be sad." Marshmallow spoke up after a few minutes. She looked up at him. Olaf's big brother.

"Will you be okay up here by yourself?" She had to ask.

"Oh, yes. Don't worry about me. I will be here, on guard, and waiting for the little brother to visit," he rumbled.

"Thank you, Marshmallow. I think that you'll be having more company than just Olaf, though. I think that my sister and I, and Kristoff and Sven will visit you, too." She made a promise to herself that they would.

As though their names had summoned them, Elsa heard someone call out, "ELSA!" It was Anna. Before she had left Arendelle to come to the mountain, Elsa had left a note for Anna telling her where she was going, and asking Anna to join her after a few hours. Elsa suspected that Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf were with her. She hoped they were.

She spoke one last time to Marshmallow. "I'm going to go down to them now. We'll come back soon, I promise!" He simply nodded, then returned to his place by the icy staircase and hunkered down into a snow mound again.

Elsa began to walk down to where she knew Anna and Kristoff were waiting. They would have a lot to talk about on their way back to Arendelle. Maybe they could take a side trip to see Grandpabbie and the trolls. They were family, after all. Kristoff's family, certainly, although she suspected they would be part of her family, eventually. Trolls-in-law? For the first time in days, Elsa was able to laugh. Trolls-in-law, indeed. She wondered if Anna had brought any chocolate.


	8. Author's End Notes

Having spent 12 years at a Jesuit university, metaphysical questions have always fascinated me.

The implications of Elsa's god-like ability to create sentient beings with the wave of her hand seemed to beg for exploration of that ability. How could she be so casual about it? What would happen once she started thinking through what she had done?

Originally, this story was entitled "Elsa's Lesson". She is still fragile at this point, still teetering on the edge of emotional peril, still feeling her way in her duties to Arendelle and to herself. It seemed to me that as she settled down into the daily grind of being the ruler responsible for the well-being of her kingdom, she would have to learn and grow, and some of those lessons would be tough ones that challenged everything she thought she knew.

And sometimes, a ruler has to do things they don't want to do. Life is shades of gray and the balancing of competing needs. Sometimes life demands we choose between bad and worse. A Queen must have a fine sense of nuance when dealing with moral and ethical dilemmas. Those dilemmas pretty much define the job. Her fear of becoming a monster will keep her from ever using lethal force as anything but an absolute last resort. She is reconciled to the fact that political reality and the safety of her kingdom may require death to be dealt in her name. But personally taking a life? We don't know if the future will bring her to a situation where she has no other option, and what she would do if faced with such a situation.

* * *

Just to be perfectly clear: IMHO, in the movie, she would have been legally, morally, and ethically justified in killing the two thugs that the Duke sent to kill her. There were two reasons she didn't: a) Disney! and b) it would have killed HER to have that last big dollop of guilt piled onto the load she was already carrying. It would have been a very different movie, one I'm not sure I would have enjoyed. Not because I would have judged her poorly for the act, but because I don't see any way for her to dump the guilt trip afterwards. Which would lead us to a very different dramatic arc. Hans, that bastard, did her (and us) a huge favor by talking her down from doing it.

YMMV, as always.


End file.
